Families flock to Flash for new Billy the Blackbird trail
Jennifer Doyle with young visitors at Pennington Flash
A new nature trail inspired by the work of a local author is seeing young bird-lovers flock to Pennington Flash this summer.
The ‘Billy the Blackbird Summer Trail’, based on picture books by Jennifer Doyle, is running at the Leigh nature reserve throughout the school holidays.
Families can pick up an explorer pack and search the Flash to discover 10 familiar bird species that children can then also try to spot at home.
Councillor Chris Ready, Wigan Council’s cabinet portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Billy the Blackbird to Pennington Flash this summer and the trail is already proving a hit with families with young children!
“A big part of our ambitions as the home of Greater Manchester’s only National Nature Reserve, the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh, is to inspire future generations to be more curious about wildlife and the world around them.
“With the Billy the Blackbird Summer Trail, families can have fun exploring the paths and bird hides to spot the many wonderful species that call Pennington Flash their home.”
Jennifer, who lives in Astley and is a schoolteacher as well as a writer, also hopes the attraction will lead to a lifelong love of birds and nature.
She said: “When I first wrote the story with my children at our kitchen table in lockdown, the one thing I really hoped for was for children to learn about the wildlife on their doorstep. That’s why we included the bird feeder instructions, fact files and garden bird detective pages.
“To think now that all of the children who visit Pennington Flash this summer will have the chance to complete the trail and start to identify different bird species is just mind-blowing. We’re so delighted to be inspiring little bird watchers of the future!”
The Billy the Blackbird Summer Trail opened in time for the school holidays and will be available until Sunday 31 August. Explorer packs are available from the visitor centre and cost just £1, while books and colouring books are also available to purchase.
Jennifer will also be appearing at a series of Billy the Blackbird Workshops, delivered in the nature reserve’s forest school area, where children can listen to an interactive storytelling of her book and then make their own bird feeder to take home.
Several timeslots are planned for Saturday 16 August, Thursday 21 August and Wednesday 27 August. Tickets are just £5 (accompanying adults free, limit one per child) and available to purchase via the Be Well Wigan app (external link) or the Be Well website (external link).
Coun Ready added: “Jennifer’s already delivered workshops for RHS Bridgewater and the National Trust, so we’re really excited to welcome her to Pennington Flash. It’ll be a really nice way to round off the summer before the kids are back at school.”
You can find out more about Jennifer Doyle’s books on the official Billy the Blackbird website (external link).
Posted on Monday 28th July 2025